President's Message

I am honored to assume the presidency of this incredible organization. I would like to thank my predecessors on the Presidential Line, Past Presidents Ken Cheung, David Polly, and John Dormans and President Elect Peter Newton, who have helped guide me and partnered with me through these last years leading up to my presidency. Their work and dedication to the society, along with those who work in the office under Tressa Goulding's oversight, is amazing to me and unlike any I have seen in a volunteer organization. We should all be lucky to have them in our midst.

2017-18 Committee Leadership

Member Submission: Medical Device Regulation

In May 2017, the new Medical Device Regulation (MDR) was published in the Official Journal of the European Union marking the start of a new era of regulatory policy for medical devices in Europe. In this issue SRS member Bill Horton, scoliosis surgeon and a member with experience in industry helps explain the implications of this changing regulatory landscape.

Governance Council Update

Mark Weidenbaum, MD
Governance Council Chair

Greetings and Happy Holidays to all! The SRS Secretary is the Chair for the Governance Council which includes the following Committees: Awards and Scholarships, Bylaws and Policies, Coding, Ethics and Professionalism, Fellowship, Global Outreach, Health Policy and Historical. Each of these vibrant Committees are important contributors to our Society.

Research Council Update

Frank J. Schwab, MD
Research Council Chair

The Research Council comprises six committees (now includes the Safety and Value committee) which meet regularly and report to the Board and Presidential Line. The following is an update on activities in each of the committees: Adult Deformity, Growing Spine, Morbidity & Mortality, Non-Operative Management, Research Grants, and Safety and Value.

Education Council Update

John R. Dimar, II, MD
Education Council Chair

The Education Council Chair’s responsibility is to coordinate the various committees under their purview to develop a cohesive and progressive educational program with the major assistance of the SRS staff and then coordinate the initiatives with the Presidential Line for approval. There has been a recent reorganization of the committees reporting to the chair following the Annual Meeting in Philadelphia with the current committees reporting to this position being the Program, IMAST, E-Text, Education, World Wide Course, CME, & Education Task Force Committees.

Finance & Communications Council Update

J. Abbott Byrd, III, MD
Finance & Communications Council Chair

Historically, the Finance Council has consisted of one committee that being the Finance Committee. However, in an attempt to off load the duties of other Councils the Presidential Line and Board have expanded the committee responsibilities of the Finance Council by adding additional committees and renaming it the Finance and Communications Council. The added committees include Website, Communications, Patient Education and Translation.

Ethics Corner

B. Stephens Richards, MD
Ethics & Professionalism Committee Member

What obligations does a spinal surgeon have regarding sexual misconduct in the physician-patient relationship?

There has been recent widespread notoriety regarding sexual misconduct involving the entertainment industry, and beyond. Because of the current heightened awareness of this issue, we ask the question “What is a spinal surgeon’s responsibility when an episode of sexual misconduct occurs involving a colleague?”

Historian Corner

George H. Thompson, MD
SRS Historian

During the recent Annual Meeting, I and others had the chance to interview our two Lifetime Achievement winners, G. Dean MacEwen, MD and Howard Steel, MD as well as Robert Campbell, MD. These interviews will be made available on the SRS History & Archives website in the coming months.

Awards & Scholarships Committee Update

M. Timothy Hresko, MD
Awards & Scholarships Committee Chair

The SRS Award Committee recently reviewed applications for the SRS Traveling Fellows from outside of North America. The award is open for SRS members and Candidate members less than 45 years old for visitation to North American spine centers. The Senior Traveling Fellow for 2018 is Dr. Francisco J. Sanchez Perez-Grueso of Madrid. Twelve very accomplished young members from Europe, Asia, and South America submitted applications with supporting letters of recommendation from SRS members.

Education Committee Update

Suken A. Shah, MD
Education Committee Chair

The Education Committee is responsible for the educational programs (Pre-Meeting Course, Half-Day Courses, and Lunchtime Symposia) for the 53rd Annual Meeting & Course in Bologna and is already hard at work. Our thanks goes to Praveen Mummaneni, MD, our past chair, for coordinating activities last year and making a seamless transition. The presentations and contributions by our entire course faculty were much appreciated, and the post-meeting evaluations reflected that! We have reviewed the feedback from the program at the 52nd Annual Meeting in Philadelphia and integrated it for the activities going forward.

Fellowship Committee Update

Youssry El Hawary, MD
Fellowship Committee Chair

In order to maintain the high standards of SRS membership, the Fellowship Committee rigorously reviews all Candidate, Associate and Active applications for membership in adherence to the polices and bylaws of SRS. The Fellowship Committee then provides their recommendations to the Board of Directors for final approval at the fall and spring Board meetings. We had a very nice turn out to the Membership Information Session at the Annual Meeting this year and we are looking forward to the December 1 deadline to review the next round of applications.

Non-Operative Management Committee Update

Howard M. Place, MD
Non-Operative Management Committee Chair

The Non-operative committee met at the 53rd Annual Meeting & Course and delegated responsibilities for the upcoming year. Several tasks are actively being worked on to include compilation of a bibliography of the Physical Therapy and Alternative Treatment methods to address scoliosis and a review article on the Non-operative treatments of Adult Spinal Deformity. Plans for this coming year include working with the patient education committee to address FAQs regarding Adult Spinal Deformity.

World Wide Course Committee Update

Benny T. Dahl, MD, PhD, DMSci
World Wide Course Committee Chair

The Worldwide Course Committee continues to plan and coordinate three major types of activities under the WWC umbrella: the traditional WWC courses, the Current Concepts in Spine Deformity Courses (CCSD), and the Hands-on Courses.

Call for Applications - USBJI Young Investigator Initiative Grant Mentoring & Career Development Program

The United States Bone and Joint Initiative (USBJI) and Bone and Joint Canada are dedicated to increasing research of musculoskeletal diseases. To keep pace with the high and increasing burden of these diseases, a higher level of research performed by young investigators in the musculoskeletal diseases is required, and future levels of research assured.